Elaphromyia oculomaculata Maneesh & Hancock, 2025

Singh, Maneesh Pal & Hancock, David Lawrence, 2025, Five new species of subfamily Tephritinae (Tephritidae: Diptera) from Himalayas and description of postabdominal structures in Chaetostomella completa (Kapoor, Malla & Ghosh), Pliomelaena spathuliniforma (Dirlbek & Dirlbek) and P. zonogastra (Bezzi), Zootaxa 5689 (2), pp. 299-332 : 308-312

Elaphromyia oculomaculata Maneesh & Hancock , sp. nov.

(figures 5–7)

Diagnosis: Small ( 3.16 mm) species with darker frons, palpi with black setulae on anterior lobe, katepisternal and anepimeral setae white and almost as long as anepisternal seta, cell r 1 with 6 hyaline indentations in left wing and 5 in right wing of females and 5 in both wings of male, abdomen with a pair of medial black spots on tergites IV–VI in females, that on VI larger than remaining spots giving eyespot appearance, and on tergite IV in male, tergite V in male with 6 black spots. Preputium trumpet-shaped, narrow basally and patterned with an irregularly shaped beaded surface, apex of glans and posterior end of preputium dorsally covered with a butterfly-shaped sclerite.

Elaphromyia oculomaculata Maneesh & Hancock , sp. nov. is similar to other Indian Elaphromyia in appearance, i.e. E. pterocallaeformis (Bezzi) , E. siva Frey and E. juncta David, Hancock & Sachin , but can be differentiated by long white katepisternal seta, 5–6 hyaline indentations in cell r 1, larger black spots on tergite VI of female and 6 black spots on tergite V of male, longer trumpet-like preputia, shape of spicules on distal eversible membrane and shape of spermathecae; E. pterocallaeformis , E. siva and E. juncta have short and dark katepisternal seta, E. pterocallaeformis has 5–6 hyaline indentations in cell r 1 but abdominal spots, basally broader preputia, shape of spicules on distal eversible membrane and spermathecae clearly separate them ( cf. David et al. 2021 figs 29, 32 & 34), E. siva has mostly uniform bifid preputia ( cf. David et al. 2021 fig. 19), E. juncta has dark katepisternal seta, 4 hyaline indentations in cell r 1, 3 marginal hyaline indentations in cell cu 1, elongate yellowish indentations on wing, shorter bifid preputia almost as long as wide, longer spicules on distal eversible membrane ( cf. David et al. 2021 figs 5, 6, 9 & 12).

Head: Yellowish fulvous, dark greyish on frons, scape and pedicel with dorsal black setulae, flagellum yellowish, laterally darker, pubescent and dorsoapically slightly curved. Arista lightly plumose, face fulvous but slightly darker in male, 20–25 black setulae on lateral sides of facial carina from genal setae, compound eyes higher than wide. Palpi with black setulae on anterior lobe and proboscis with yellowish setulae. All setae yellowish or stubby white except frontal setae darker than others: 3 frontal, 2 orbital, 1 ocellar, 2 vertical (outer vertical short and stubby white), 2 postocellar (each crossing in ‘x’ fashion), 3 stubby white postocular setae with 5–6 black setulae between each, 1 genal seta and postgenal area covered with dense yellowish setae.

Thorax: Dark greyish with yellowish setulae, 2 lateral and 1 medial faint dark lines present from scapular region to scutum. Lateral faint lines align with dorsocental setae and slightly darker on suture. Postpronotal lobe slightly yellowish with stubby white setulae ventrally, notopleuron dark greyish, anepisterum dark greyish apically except narrow transverse yellow line below notopleuron and rest of pleuron yellowish. Mediotergite greyish, katatergite, anatergite and subscutellum faint black (fig. 5D). Full complement of thoracic setae, with black narrow annular base and apical scutellar setae weakly developed. Dorsocentral setae anterior to postsutural supra-alar. Katepisternal and anepimeral setae white and longer, almost as long as anepisternal seta (fig. 5D). Setae: 1 postpronotal, 2 notopleural (both anterior and posterior setae equally long), 1 presutural supra-alar, 1 postsutural supra-alar, 1 dorsocental (anterior to postsutural supra-alar), 1 prescutellar acrostichal, 1 postalar, 2 scutellar (apical scutellar very small), 2 anepisternal (posterior white), 1 white anepimeral and 1 white katepisternal. All thoracal setae translucent except the few white setae mentioned above.

All legs with black setulae, fore legs dark brownish, mid and hind legs yellowish (fig. 5A). Fore femora with a ventrolateral row of 5–6 setae and 2 dorsolateral rows of 5–6 setae.

Wings dark, elongate ( 4.92 mm), parallel-sided with hyaline indentations and almost parallel series of many circular to elongate yellowish brown spots. Cell bc and c dark except apical yellowish speck, Sc break hyaline and vein R 1 with dorsal setulae below Sc break, cell sc with 2 marginal hyaline indentations, posterior indentation near sc break smaller and absent in a paratype female, cell r 1 with 6 hyaline indentations in left wing and 5 in right wing in all females, 5 in both wings of male. Indentations in cell r 1 of right wing of females broader than in left (figs 6A & B). Cell r 1 with 11 yellowish circular indentations behind hyaline indentations in both sexes. Cell r 2+3 with a single small hyaline indentation below apex of vein R 2+3 extending as a yellowish spot. Yellowish spots slightly elongated in entire wing except in cells r 1 and r 4+5 where these yellowish spots are circular to subcircular. Cell m with 3 marginal hyaline indentations in females and 4 in male. Posterior hyaline indentation in cell m larger semicircular and confluent with vein Cu 1 in both sexes. Cell cu 1 with 4–5 elongate marginal hyaline indentations and rest of cell with light reticulate pattern. Alula with reticulate subhyaline pattern (figs 6A & B). Halteres yellowish with blackish capitulum.

Abdomen: Elongate-oval, yellowish and covered with black setulae except tergite II bare medially. Tergite VI in female and V in male slightly reddish brown compared with rest of tergites (fig 5F & 6C). Tergite IV, V and VI in female with a pair of medial black spots. Medial black spots on tergite VI larger than rest of spots giving eyespot appearance. Tergite V in females with a pair of lateral small black spots (fig. 5F). Tergite V in male with 6 black spots, 4 medial arranged in a square and 2 lateral (fig. 6C). Tergite IV of male with two small medial black spots. Posterior margin of tergite V in males with 8–10 black setae.

Female Genitalia: Oviscape 0.87 mm long, reddish brown with basal triangular black spot dorsomedially. Aculeus ( 0.1 mm) with two lateral flanges apically and tip chisel-shaped, triangulate, and sharper at apex (figs 7A & B). Eversible membrane 0.1 mm long. Spicules on distal eversible membrane c-shaped with flat triangular projection. Two lemon-shaped spermathecae covered with tubular projections (fig. 7D).

Male Genitalia: Epandrium triangular in posterior view, covered with dense setulae and posterior end with scattered setae. Epandrium much higher than proctiger (figs 7E & F), latter setose and lateral surstylus longer than medial surstylus. Posterior lobe of lateral surstylus broad, blunt and anterior lobe triangulate at apex. Inner end of posterior lobe of lateral surstylus with 3–5 setulae. Medial surstylus ending in 2 sharp striated prensisetae. Two setae on inner surface of medial surstylus (fig. 7E). Aedeagus 0.27 mm long excluding glans ( 0.067 mm), latter bifid apically terminated in to two distinct preputia. Preputium trumpet-shaped, narrow basally, patterned with an irregularly shaped beaded surface, and apex of glans and posterior end of preputium dorsally covered with butterfly-shaped sclerite (figs 7G & H). Whip-like beaded and pubescent subapical lobe present between preputia.

Type Material: Holotype ♀, on Bambusa sp. , INDIA, Himachal Pradesh, Shimla, Summer hills , 7.xi.2024, Maneesh Leg. In Zoological Survey of India (High Altitude Regional Centre ( HARC), Solan, Himachal Pradesh) . Paratypes 1 ♂ & 2 ♀, same data as holotype (1 paratype with first author) . Paratype 1 ♀, on Bidens pilosa , INDIA, Himachal Pradesh, Hamirpur, Bann, 11.ii.2025, Maneesh Leg. In Zoological Survey of India (High Altitude Regional Centre ( HARC), Solan, Himachal Pradesh) .

Etymology: Specific epithet derived from Latin words denoting eye spots i.e. 2 prominent circular black spots on tergite VI of female abdomen.